Geography & environment — China
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Geography & environment at a glance
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources. Key figure for China: Asia
Immigration rules and fees change frequently — confirm current requirements on official government or embassy websites.
Location & size
- Geographic Location
Asia
- Geographic Coordinates
35 00 N, 105 00 E
- Total Area
3,705,387 Square Miles 9,596,961 Square Kilometers
- Land Area
3,694,939 Square Miles 9,569,901 Square Kilometers
- Water Area
10,448 Square Miles 27,060 Square Kilometers
- Land Boundaries
13,743 Miles 22,117 Kilometers
- Border Countries
Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Mongolia 4,677 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km
- Coastline
9,010 Miles 14,500 Kilometers
Physical geography
- Terrain
Mostly mountains, high plateaus, and deserts in the west; plains, deltas, and hills in east
- Highest Point
8,850 Meters
- Highest Point Location
Mount Everest 8,850 m (highest point in Asia)
- Lowest Point
-154 Meters
- Lowest Point Location
Turpan Pendi -154 m
- Natural Resources
Coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, rare earth elements, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest)
- Irrigated Land
243,004 Square Miles 629,380 Square Kilometers
Climate & time
- Time Zone
UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) time zone note: China is the largest country (in terms of area) with just one time zone; before 1949 it was divided into five
Climate
- Climate
The country lies almost entirely in the temperate zone. Only Hainan Province and the southernmost portions of Yunnan and Guangdong Provinces and the Zhuang Autonomous Region of Guangxi lie within the tropics. A monsoon climate is a major influence in the south. The north and west have a typical continental climate, although winters are extremely dry and summers quite rainy. During summer, warm, moist, maritime air masses bring heavy rains to eastern China, and hot, humid, summer weather is typical. Winter offers a sharp contrast when cold, dry Siberian air masses dominate and often reach the southern provinces. Little precipitation falls during the colder months; clear days with low humidity and low temperatures are the norm.
- Terrain
Mostly mountains, high plateaus, and deserts in the west; plains, deltas, and hills in east
- Location
Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam
- Total Area
3,705,387 Square Miles 9,596,961 Square Kilometers
- Border Countries
Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Mongolia 4,677 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km
Environment
- Environment - Current Issues
Air pollution (greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide particulates) from reliance on coal produces acid rain
water shortages, particularly in the north
water pollution from untreated wastes
deforestation
estimated loss of one-fifth of agricultural land since 1949 to soil erosion and economic development
desertification
trade in endangered species
- Environment - International Agreements
Party To: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling Signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
